1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method for managing component data in design process and prepress process.
2. Description of the Prior Art
FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 show conceptual diagrams of the design process and prepress process in producing printed matter or printed material (hereinafter called as prints). FIG. 1 shows the design process and FIG. 2 shows the prepress process. In the design process, a designer makes a rough sketch to determine layout of image (pictorial patterns), text, and line work etc. Next, the designer hands text component 5, image component 10, 12, and 14 to operators. The operator who received the text component 5 enters the text using a computer 3, the text data is stored on a flexible disk (hereinafter called FD) 9 as electronic data and hand in the FD to the designer. Also, the operator who received the image component 10, 12 and 14 performs reading by an input scanner 7, and the read image data are stored on the FD 11 as electronic data and hand in the FD to the designer. While the image components 12 and 14 are represented respectively by letters A and B for convenience, they are actually pictorial patterns (images). Also, in case of line work component, the operator makes electronic data of the line work component using computer 3 in accordance with the letters A and B.
The designer reads the electronic data of the image component, the text component, and the line work component stored on the FD 9 and FD 11 which is handed in from the operators into the computer 2, and makes layout data by laying out the respective components on a base sheet in a display. The layout data thus made is outputted from a printer 4 to produce a layout paper 6. While, the images, texts, and lineworks on the layout paper 6 shown in FIG. 3A are not necessarily identical to those on a final print. While they may be different in hue and saturation, they suffice to show the layout of components. For example, a corresponding image component 16 on the layout paper 6 is shown to determine the layout of the image component 10, a corresponding image component 13 to determine the layout of the image component 12, and a corresponding image component 15 to determine the layout of the image component 14. Corresponding text components 17 and 19 are shown to determine the layout of respectively corresponding text components.
Separately from the layout paper 6, an instruction sheet 8 is prepared on a transparent sheet shown in FIG. 3B. The instruction sheet 8 is to be superposed on the layout paper 6 for use and part of work contents to be carried out for each of the components at the time of prepress is described on it.
The layout paper 6, instruction sheet 8, image components 10, 12, 14, and a FD storing the layout data which is result of page make up of the text components and the line work components are put into a work bag 20 which is handed from the design process to the prepress process (Refer to FIG. 1).
In the prepress process shown in FIG. 2, the image components 10, 12 and 14 are read by an input scanner 22, and electronic data is stored on a magnetic disk 24. A prepress operator then makes a computer 26 to read and display the image data 10 stored on the magnetic disk 24, and retouches the image component 10 according to the layout paper 6 and the instruction sheet 8. The retouch work is done, for example, by cutting to the size indicated on the layout paper 6 and the instruction sheet 8, hue adjustment, enlargement or reduction, rotation, etc. The retouched image component 10 is again stored on the magnetic disk 24. In a similar manner, the image components 12 and 14 are also retouched.
The components are then laid out according to the layout paper 6 and the instruction sheet 8. Based on the laid out data, an output scanner 23 makes out individual single color films in yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K). After exposure and development processes using these single color films, printing plates (not shown) for respective colors are prepared.
The conventional method described above has the following disadvantages. When the designer lays out the components stored on the FD 9 and FD 11 from the operator, on the base sheet in a display, it is necessary to display contents of each components and carrying out confirmation of the components respectively. However, the work mentioned above is very complex, since many of the components are necessary when a large number of the components are prepared once, so that, searching of the components take much time, the work efficiency is considerably lowered. Also, similar problems are likely to occur in the prepress process.